Defense: Mask
by SilverFlameoftheWindScar
Summary: Another Shinigami, ready to kill Akuji, shows up. Instead of the Hollow, Ichigo is nearly killed. Another appearance of Duex is made. Ichigo and Akuji's Mask makes its full entrance, and craziness ensues because of the creation. IchiHichiIchiAkuji


Defense: Mask

One-shot

DISCLAIMER: As with the other…(counts on fingers)…four, if it's not specifically a copyright, IT'S MINE! –sticks tongue out-

Now, Duex has survived school, Vasto Lords, Keigo, and the _ALMIGHTY_ Isshin! Let's see if he, Ichigo, and Akuji can survive everything else.

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When Ichigo woke the next morning, it was to see four faces hanging out of his ceiling where his light used to be. "What the hell!? What'd you do to my light!?" he shouted, unable to jump up because of Akuji's arms around him. "Hey, Akuji, wake up," he said as he nudged the Hollow.

"Huh? Wazzat?" Akuji asked as his eyes blearily opened. "Hey, Ichi…I thought this was Saturday? What're you doin' up so early?" Ichigo pointed to the four faces hanging out of his ceiling. "Holy shit! How the hell did they get in the ceilin'?!"

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" Ichigo exclaimed at the Shinigami defying gravity. There was a polite knock coming from his window and, when he opened the curtains, Ichigo sighted Hitsugaya. "Well, at least _he_ respects my privacy!" He heard Akuji mentally laughing at him, causing him to turn around in his sitting position and glare fiercely. "You_ knew _they were going to do that!"

"Yep. Heard 'em talkin' about it outside the window this morning," the paler of the two confessed. Ichigo glared even harsher at the Hollow, about to start ranting at him, if not for the mouth that pressed itself to his. "Will ya forgive me?"

"Y-yeah…" the Shinigami answered in a dazed fashion, ignoring everyone else, not even noticing when a white-haired ally dashed away from the window. "All right, everyone…basically, Duex is me and Akuji, thus the name. That's about the simplest I can put it. You've never seen us when we're only sharing our power, but Duex is us _combined_. Now that this has been explained, would you be so kind as to _leave_?!"

"Um…certainly…we'll just…let you worry about your light…" Yumichika answered, no one noticing that Rangiku had left although Toshiro certainly had because she was, at that point in time, chewing him out for nearly breaking Ichigo's trust and telling all of Seireitei about him.

"Well, that was certainly a 'crack of dawn' wake-up call," Akuji mumbled, but could hear Ichigo gritting his teeth as he lay back down. "Yeah, yeah…I could-a woke ya up, but you'd got mad at me even _more_ before realizing I was doin' ya a favor."

"Yeah… You're probably right," the living of the two replied as he flipped onto his other side, facing the Hollow. "Come 'ere," he half-mumbled, pulling the Whole Hollow against him in a hug. "I can't stay mad at you for long."

"That…is a distinctly good thing," the other responded, burying his face against the orange-haired teenager's neck. Ichigo mumbled something, but Akuji already knew he was asleep. He took that route himself after fastening the window and closing the curtains with his toes. _I'd die without my feet,_ was his last thought.

A few hours later, they were both wide awake and smelling Yuzu's cooking. "Whatever she's cooking, it smells good! Doesn't it, Akuji?" Ichigo asked after coming back from the bathroom and dressing.

"Of course it does! Your sister's the best cook I've ever eaten from!"

Ichigo deadpanned. "She's the _only_ cook you've ever eaten from…" The Hollow shrugged before glomping the teen and kissing him senseless. "Okay…thanks, I think…"

"You're very welcome, my King," Akuji replied and bowed with a flourish, grinning when Ichigo growled at him and welcoming the harsh kiss that came with it. "You're too kind," was the response before the Hollow leaned forward and kissed him again, biting his lip and licking away the blood that spilt.

"Why do you do that?" Ichigo asked him, nursing his lip with his tongue.

"I like the way your blood tastes," was the answer, getting a raised eyebrow.

"Great… I've fallen in love with a vampire…" the teen grumbled with a smirk before feeling his pale self's fangs sink into his neck, gaining a yelp from him. "What the hell, Akuji?!"

"Vou thaid I vath a vampire," Akuji replied around his mouthful of throat before swallowing the blood in his mouth. Straightening up, he kissed his other half. "Told you it tasted good," he said with a laugh.

"Mixed with you, it does. Otherwise…no." The Hollow pouted as they went downstairs. "By the way, Yuzu gets creative with breakfast, so I have _no idea_ what she's concocted this time." The pale teenager gulped as his face became, somehow, even paler. Ichigo wrapped a comforting arm around him and said, "I understand your fears, but Yuzu would _never_ cook something to hurt someone. If it happens, it's unintentional. After all, she's the daughter of a doctor. If anything, her…creations are healthy and very good for you."

"I'll…I'll trust you on this, Ichi," Akuji said, easily sinking into the warmth that Ichigo's hold brought to him.

"Thanks-" he cut himself off when he saw Captain of the First Squad, Geryuusai Yamamoto, sitting at his kitchen table. "What –_the fuck_- is going on?! Why are Seireitei's Shinigami always popping up at my house?!"

"Kurosaki, make your son show some manners," Yamamoto said to Isshin, who snapped up to follow the order.

Isshin almost started another fight with his son, but Akuji caught his fist. "Don't you _dare_ hurt _my_ Shinigami. I hold high respect for you, which is an accomplishment for a Hollow like me, and you know that. You ain't even under Captain Geezer's command anymore and, _still_, you'd hop and tap dance at the same time if he told you to. You'd strike _your! Own! SON!_ for this guy?! What kind of dad are you?"

"Akuji, calm down. It's all right. Me and Dad always knock each other around, you know that," Ichigo said softly, circling an arm around the Hollow from behind, settling his hand over his other's chest. Akuji laid a hand over the Shinigami's, slowly letting Isshin's hand drop. _"It's all right, Akuji. Dad's been scolded, Yamamoto's cooled his granny-panties, and we're fine… You saw to us being okay."_ Ichigo could've sworn he'd heard laughter at his comment on the Captain-Commander.

"All right, Ichi…" Akuji whispered, knowing the teen would hear him. _Somehow, he always does._

"Tell me, boy… How do you have this Hollow under control?" Yamamoto asked, getting a glare from both of the teenagers.

"He's not _this Hollow_. His name is Akuji Apollo and he isn't controlled by me. We're two sides of the same coin. He's me and I'm him. By the way, isn't the scientific stuff Captain Creepy's job?" Ichigo propped an eyebrow at the Captain of the First Squad before Akuji gripped painfully onto his hand. _"Akuji-?"_

_"Granny-panties is doing something to me… He's controlling my actions… I don't understand it but, if you don't get away from me, I'm going to accidentally hurt you,"_ Akuji said to him, trying to control his body. _"What the hell is that bastard doing?!"_ he shouted, foregoing blocking his thoughts from Ichigo.

Thinking quickly, Ichigo took hold of Akuji's hands and held them against the Hollow's chest. _"I'm not leaving you here for that old fart to hurt you just because you're a Hollow. Damn, miserable racist,"_ the Shinigami grumbled to his other half. _"Help me pull you into our mind world. I can protect you there."_

_"Don't want you protectin' me, Ichi! I want to protect _you_ this time and I'm telling you to get the hell away for that reason!"_ He could feel his Shinigami's resolve and sighed mentally. _"Fine… Like Zangetsu always preaches, concentrate on me being there. That's it."_

_All right,_ Ichigo thought to himself before setting his mind solely on pulling his other half into his inner world. _Damn it! Let him come back to me!_ he shouted in his head before Akuji vanished, his thought being last burst needed. _"Akuji! Are you-"_ Ichigo was cut off when he looked down to see his arm that was still in the air bleeding. _I can…feel my entire body bleeding…like my veins can't hold my blood anymore…_ His vision faded as his body collapsed to the ground.

"Ichigo, we must hurry. I am afraid Yamamoto is using some type of Kidou on you and, if he continues, you will die. He is too powerful for you to break the spell like with Rukia. I believe it is time for Duex to make another appearance," Zangetsu said after Akuji woke the teen.

"This is all my fault… If I hadn't come downstairs with you-"

"Hush, Akuji; it's Yamamoto who is doing this, not you," the other said softly, cutting the Hollow off. "Now come on; we've got to let Duex have fun, too."

--

"What have you done…?" Isshin whispered as he kneeled beside his still-bleeding son. Staring at Geryuusai, he added, "Did you know that he is only _fifteen_? Yes, Captain, you've nearly killed a child! I hope you're satisfied!" The old man didn't even look troubled. "I'm glad I was exiled if this is what I would have become."

"Oi, Isshin, let me handle him. Captain Geezer here's got on my last nerve." Isshin looked behind him to see the combination of his son and his son's Hollow. Duex pointed his black Zangetsu at the Captain-Commander. "Listen, old man, you seem like a pretty good guy, but you need to get your head on straight. Attacking a human is a violation of _your own_ laws. I wonder how easy it'd be for me to have you put in the Repentance Cell?"

"I _am_ the law, boy, so don't even try to contend with me," Yamamoto answered as Duex kneeled down beside Ichigo's body.

"Yeah, yeah. That's what they _all_ say just before they're thrown in jail and losin' the key," Duex replied as he latched his reiatsu into the spell on Ichigo. Weaving his power through it, he yanked it harshly and busted the Kidou. "Ichigo's broke a Kidou before, old man, don't think for one second that I can't. Of course, he did that while he was still solid _human_, before Rukia gave her power to him 'cause she was injured, a Hollow was tryin' to kill them, and Karin, his little sister, was about to be killed! And you sentence Rukia to die by that damn phoenix?! What kind of leader are you?"

"Central Forty-Six handles those things. I merely carry them out."

"AH! So you're _not_ the highest guy! I bet there's even a king up there somewhere! Oh wait, there is, 'cause Aizen's after the King's Key, continuously gettin' closer, and you're here tryin' to kill off a Hollow that only wants to protect his Shinigami. You _really_ need to sort your head out," Duex replied, Akuji's sarcasm getting the better of him in his temper, though no one could correctly guess that he was angry because of the sardonic grin on his face.

"Duex, do not speak to the Captain like that!" Isshin hissed to him, but only received a scoff in reply.

"Can we stop playing 'Defend the Hollow' here? First, Isshin, then the Shinigami, then a bunch of Vasto Lords, my crazy day at Ichigo's school, and last, but certainly not least, the Captain-Commander, Geryuusai Yamamoto himself, comes to try to kill him. If you hadn't noticed, Akuji's been here for a _while_, long before Isshin found him, and no one has been harmed because they haven't tried to harm either Ichigo or him. By the way, he nearly sliced and diced Byakuya, your Squad Six Captain, because the guy nearly killed Ichigo. I just thought you might want to know that.

"Also," Duex continued, standing and pointing at the First Squad Captain accusatorily. "Ichigo's the most powerful ally you got against Aizen. It wouldn't do you too much good if he suddenly decided that he didn't want to help you and went about his own way to take the fruit cake down. You know very well that his friends would follow him. I wouldn't be surprised if Kenpachi, Byakuya, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, and a load of other high seated people in Seireitei did, as well!"

"Duex-" Isshin was cut off when the hybrid lifted Ichigo's body in his arms. "What are you doing?"

"I'm takin' Ichigo's body up to his room and I _really_ hope Captain Oldie here can get his priorities straight and worry about the ones who are threat right now instead of later. And no, Ichigo and Akuji aren't a threat as long as you don't treat them that way," he said, growling the last part as the Shinigami's favorite expression came over his face and making his way up the stairs and ignoring everyone.

"If this is what I'll have to go through, I _really_ don't want to be a teenager," Karin said from behind her father. "I'm gonna get something to clean Ichigo up with so you can have _plenty_ of time to sort yourselves out." She walked to the bottom of the stairs and turned to face them. "I hope Ichi is still on your side after this crap," was all she said to them before running up the stairs to the bathroom. Pulling a bowl from under the sink, she filled it with water and grabbed two washcloths, knowing she'd need both of them because of how bloody her brother was.

Karin knocked on the door to her brother's closed room. "What…?" was the weak reply.

"It's me," she answered before hearing the door unlock. Taking that as her cue, she opened it. "Ichigo…you look awful…"

"Thanks for the compliment…" He pulled himself up into a sitting position on the floor, using it to keep from staining his bed. "Don't worry… I'll be fine…"

"Yeah, that's what you always say just before you pass out," she scolded him before calling to thin air, "Hey, Akuji! I know you're listening to us, so come out here and help me."

"What can little ol' me do to help?" he asked as he appeared behind Ichigo. He caught the wet cloth that she tossed to him. "Huh?" He stared at it for a moment before getting the point when she started wiping off Ichigo's arms. "Heh, this is some _kingly_ service."

"Shut up…" Ichigo mumbled, feeling like he'd used the last of his strength just to do that. "You know, Karin…you're right," he said to his sister before falling backwards and passing into unconsciousness.

Karin rolled her eyes, rinsing her washcloth out. "Can you take his shirt off of him for me?" she asked the Hollow, who did so with a practiced fashion that made her eyebrow spring up her forehead. "You seem like you could do that in your sleep."

"I couldn't count all the times I've done this using my fingers _and_ toes," Akuji replied with a bit of a grin, knowing she was beginning to understand their relationship. He started wiping down Ichigo's chest but stopped and stared for a moment. "What's this?" he asked to no one, leaning over to get a closer look. Over the teen's heart, there was an insignia of his Hollow Mask. A soft smile came to Akuji's face as he wondered when it happened.

"I knew Ichigo did something," Karin said from the Shinigami's other side. "He came in one day, making sure to keep Dad from hitting his chest. He got a tattoo of…whatever that is…"

"It's our Mask. Whenever I take control, usually before he's about to be killed, it forms halfway before I stop it. If I let it continue, it'll destroy us," he explained, but wondered how Ichigo kept it hidden from his father. About half an hour later, they had the human completely cleaned of blood but stripped down to his boxers. This thought made Akuji snigger. "It's gonna be funny when he wakes up."

"Hmm…most likely," Karin replied. She looked up at the Hollow. "You know, Akuji? You're all right," she said with a small smile, getting one from the pale teen as well. She took the two washcloths and the bowl before standing and leaving the room.

"Hear that, Ichi? Your sister likes me," Akuji said to the unconscious form of his Shinigami. The Hollow grinned, lifting Ichigo to put him on his bed and covering him up. After lightly pressing a kiss to the teen's forehead, he picked up the bloody clothing on the floor, growling when he thought of what, better yet – who, caused it. He came down the stairs to take the soiled outfit to the laundry room.

"I shall return, Isshin. I'm feeling a need for sake," said a voice that made Akuji see red.

Sticking his head into the kitchen as he passed by, he shouted at Yamamoto, "I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON IT!" before walking on down the hallway, snarling. People, though, learned quickly that when Akuji was actually _snarling_, he was utterly pissed. Ichigo had only seen him _almost _this angry once, and that was just before he was kissed. He heard the sound of someone coming toward him as he was dropping Ichigo's shirt and pants into the laundry basket. "Old man, if you dare do it, I'll kill you the first chance I get. And no, don't you even _think_ of having me arrested (laugh) for threatening you because you brought it on yourself." The accent had been dropped from he words and he was dead serious.

Akuji stomped out of the room, down the hallway, up the stairs, and into Ichigo's room before closing the door softly and leaning against it. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Akuji…? Is that you?" The Hollow instantly went to Ichigo's bedside. "Hey…" the teen trailed off into a grunt as he forced himself into a sitting position. "What's wrong?"

"Old man Yamamoto. He's still here. He was talkin' about gettin' sake and I told him to choke on it," Akuji said, grinning when Ichigo laughed. "I'm sorry, Ichi… You got hurt 'cause-a me…"

"Akuji… How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about it?" Ichigo asked him as he leaned against the wall beside his window. Akuji blushed a little before sitting next to him. "It's not _just_ him, is it?"

"No… I ain't never been so…so angry before." The Hollow looked over at the Shinigami before wrapping his arms around him. "Truthfully, I hope it don't happen again," he added, holding the living of the two close enough to hear his heart beating. "'Least…not with you around. I don't wanna go nuts and hurt you."

Ichigo smacked his head, gaining his other's attention. "Don't worry about hurting me, Akuji. I can handle myself and, from our past battles, you, too. Besides, you don't go _nuts_, exactly, you just get into the battle. There's nothing wrong with that, just make sure to keep your head about you and not hurt your allies. That's all I ask," the Shinigami said to him with a small smile.

"I'll try to do that…but I ain't makin' any promises. They're too easy to break," the paler of the two returned.

"I understand completely," was the response before Ichigo kissed him softly. When he leaned upward, throwing a leg over Akuji's waist, he realized that he felt a draft. "Holy shit! Where's my clothes?!" he shouted, diving back under his blanket.

That is where Akuji lost control of his sniggering and started full-out belly laughter, wrapping his arms around his stomach as if it were hurting him severely. "I was right!" he choked out before falling onto the floor, still laughing as hard as his stomach and lungs would allow. He couldn't laugh any more when his other half jumped onto him. Coughing, he said, "Funniest thing…I've seen in…a while…"

As his Hollow laughed, Ichigo glared harshly at him. Getting an evil idea, he leaned forward and kissed the golden-eyed teen, pulling away before Akuji could enjoy it. He kept doing that until he felt satisfied that he'd annoyed the Hollow as much as he'd annoyed him. Akuji growled at him and pulled him down.

"Stop that, damn it!" the Whole Hollow hissed against Ichigo's mouth before sliding his tongue through the eldest Kurosaki's partly-open lips. His black nails were trailed along Ichigo's spine, earning a groan.

"Unn… You're an asshole…but I love you anyway," the teen said to the other, realizing that it was the first time they hadn't taken turns tormenting the other, instead both going at it the same time. Another yelp was pulled from his throat when Akuji painfully bit his shoulder. "Do you like causing me pain?"

"I _love_ to," the Hollow answered in a half-whispering voice with half-lidded eyes and a slight red tint in his face. His eyes were shinning with a sunlight brightness. Suddenly, a knock came from the window. "Damn it all! The mood is _ruined_!" Akuji shouted, throwing his arms up into the air and letting his head fall against the floor.

The two stood up, Ichigo nearly pulling the curtain back before remembering that he only had his boxers on. "Oh _shit_! Akuji, answer the window!" he exclaimed before diving inside his closet, a mantra of, 'damn it, damn it, damn it,' coming from him. "Don't you even _think_ of laughing, damn you asshole, I can hear your thoughts!"

"I'm not thinkin'-a doing it, I am doin' it!" Akuji stuttered through his uncontrollable laughter as he pulled the window open, allowing Renji inside. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

"It's just me. Rangiku sent me to tell Ichigo not to be mad at his dad about the Captain-Commander. It was Captain Hitsugaya who called him. Rangiku had scolded him about betraying people's trust _after_ he'd sent the message," Renji answered, and heard a shout of, 'I'm going to_ kill_ that…that…RUNT!' come from the closet. "Don't speak about Captain Hitsugaya like that, Ichigo! He was only doing what he felt was right!"

"I! Don't! Care! He shouldn't have done _anything_ until asking either me or Akuji about it!" was the reply when Ichigo came out of his closet in his favorite pair of ripped-knee pants, still hunting for a shirt.

"What's that?" Renji asked, poking the middle of the Shinigami's chest.

Ichigo smacked his hand away and answered, "A tattoo. What's it supposed to be? A birthmark?"

"Of what? It looks like a…Hollow Mask? Why'd you have a Mask tattooed on your chest? Over your heart?" the redhead continued, ignoring the orange-haired one's rhetorical inquiry. Ichigo reached over, settling his hand against Akuji's opposite so that their palms were together and his fingertips were touching the other's wrist. Sliding their hands apart toward themselves, Ichigo and Akuji's Hollow Mask appeared between them, Ichigo's finger in the right eyehole while Akuji's was in the left. "It's…"

"Ours," Akuji finished the trailed off sentence before sliding the Mask over Ichigo's face quickly, laughing a little when the teen spluttered at him. It pulsed for a moment before forming to the teen's face.

"Ouch…" the human mumbled, rubbing at the streaks under the left eye. "Ow! What the hell?!" He looked at his arms, which were stinging severely, and watched as a thick ring of red appeared on each of his wrists with small flames going to the middle of his forearm. Between the small fiery sections, red, softly-waved, thick lines went all the way up his arms to the spot between his biceps and shoulders, where they came to a point. Rough slashes were struck in the gap between the wavy lines. "Akuji, what's- Ack!"

The Hollow caught his Shinigami as he fell forward. "I don't know what this is…" Akuji bit his lip as Ichigo cringed, shuddering. He lay the teen on his back, careful of his arms, and looped his fingers into the eyeholes before carefully and gently pulling the Mask from the Shinigami's face. The newest additions to his body didn't fade, and there was a patch of two streaks under his left eye. "Ichi? Can ya hear me?"

The human's eyes became blank as he sat straight up. His hands were lifted in front of him, toward Akuji. "Choose one of these, then swallow it. Let what sets you apart drive your decision." The voice wasn't Ichigo's, but Zangetsu's.

"Zangetsu? What's happenin' to him?" the Hollow asked but wasn't answered. Instead, the two hands in front of him were opened, revealing a small, pitch black crystal and another small, pure white crystal. _'What sets me apart,' huh? Pft, that'd be my heart,_ Akuji thought to himself before looking between the two small gems. _Uh…_ Letting his eyes fall closed, his hand reached out and took one of the crystals before popping it into his mouth and swallowing.

"Good choice," Zangetsu said to him, Akuji looking to see the white one in Ichigo's hand before it was gone down the teen's throat, courtesy of Zangetsu's control of him.

Ichigo came back to himself quickly, relighting his eyes. "Tell a soul, Renji, and I'll have your head on a platter. Whether it be your Gigai's or yours, I don't really care." The redhead nodded, still unnaturally pale from the event. "Akuji…I think that, whatever that white thing was, it gave me the ability to control whatever our Mask did to me…and you to control it, as well… It's another connection between us…"

"Well, it ain't like we got enough of those," Akuji replied but was smiling, actually _smiling_, about the fact. Renji was speechless at this. He was also ignored, especially when the paler of the two pulled the living one to him and kissed him fiercely. "Hey, Ichi, can you make these like your other tattoo? Somehow, your dad didn't see it."

"Yeah; watch," the other answered, concentrating his spirit energy. Slowly, the marks disappeared, starting at his wrists and working up his arms. "Uh…the one on my cheek won't-" Akuji leaned over and _licked_ under his eye, Ichigo's eyebrows rocketing into his hairline. The two streaks tingled as they vanished. "Do I look like a Popsicle?"

"Strawberry flavored," the Hollow replied, getting a scowl from Ichigo. "Yes, I'm an ass. Yes, I know you're gonna say that. No, I don't give a damn." A frown was marring the teen's features now. "What?"

"Er…no, I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say ass_hole_." A grin was on his face now, but was soon mirrored by Akuji. "Oh shit!" He wasn't able to jump up before being tackled to the floor, moving his head to the side to avoid the Hollow's fist coming at his face. Thus, another wrestling match was started.

_Teenagers,_ Renji thought to himself as he walked around the little section of wall and leaned against it, perfectly blocking the view of the two who had dissolved into a make-out moment. Covering his ears, he left the room, slamming the door behind him. _Yuck…_ he grumbled in his head as he walked down the stairs. He felt as if his eyes were going to fall out of his head when he caught sight of Geryuusai and Isshin talking about Aizen over sake. Deciding not to get caught by the Captain-Commander, he shot back up the stairs and into Ichigo's room. "Captain _Yamamoto_ is _here_?!"

"Yeah," Ichigo drew out the word, as if talking to a stupid person. "Don't get so worked up over it. Oh, was he choking on his sake?"

"No! Why would you ask that?! Did you poison it or something?!" Renji shouted at the teen, wanting to defend the highest Captain at any cost.

"That'd be a good idea," Akuji said to Ichigo while pouting about the old Shinigami not doing as he hoped. "'Sides, why'd Ichi wanna do that? He'd poison his dad, too, you dunce." He then turned back to his other half. "Eh…you still need a shirt, Ichi."

"I thought you liked me better without one," Ichigo stated, grinning a little.

"Of course," Akuji returned, trailing a nail down the teen's jaw, neck, then arm before adding, "I just don't think Renji does." The living of the two scoffed in a 'he can get over it' way then stood, going to a drawer and pulling out a black muscle shirt, which was usually for pajamas. The tattoo on his chest glowed slightly before fading as he pulled the shirt on. "So _that_ was how you hid it."

"Yeah. I only _focused_ my spirit energy. As usual, Zangetsu's _always_ right," was the response from Ichigo. The odd trio walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, blatantly ignoring the two drinking sake, instead opting for a reheated breakfast. "You really are wonderful," Ichigo said to Yuzu, causing his sister to blush with a pleased smile.

"And the best damn cook ever!" Akuji added, stuffing another bite of hashbrown in his mouth. A big, happy smile was stretched across his face and, as Ichigo opened his mouth to scold him for talking with his mouth full, the Hollow, with a bite of scrambled eggs in his chopsticks, pushed the chopsticks into the teen's mouth. "Leave me alone about my eating habits. I barely know what this _is_ or how to eat it."

Swallowing the eggs, the Shinigami was about to respond before Yuzu cut across him. "More is learned from reprimands than watching others, Akuji," she told him, shaking a wooden spoon at him.

"Okay, okay…" he replied, his hands in the air in a defensive maneuver. "Just don't hit me with that thing!"

"You've survived nearly being killed…and you're worried about being hit with a spoon?" Renji asked him before Yuzu turned to him and thwapped his head with it. "Ow… Now I understand your wariness…"

"Exactly. You don't anger a female," Akuji said, turning back to his plate. Unable to stop himself, Ichigo started sniggering before laughing so hard that he fell from his seat. He ignored Akuji's glare, easily spotting the slight gold tint in the paler of the two's eyes. Regaining his breath, he found himself lifted into the air by the front of his shirt. "We need to talk."

"Huh? About what?" Ichigo asked, the seriousness in his other half's tone worrying him. He was set back on his feet and, quickly and silently, the two finished eating. The tension in the room was palpable. The atmosphere became a little more breathable to Renji and Yuzu when they left up to Ichigo's room. "What got you riled, Akuji? I was laughing at the irony, not you…"

"I know. I wanted to get you up here so I could check something out." The Hollow poked around in the other's desk until he found the Shinigami amulet. Touching it to Ichigo's chest, the teen's soul was flung from his body. "Zangetsu isn't with you," he stated.

"Hey…you're right." Ichigo felt over his shoulder, his Zanpaktou absent from his person. Looking back, he noticed the red markings up his arms. He placed his hand against his left cheek, not paying attention when Akuji reached over to touch his fingertips under his right eye. "What is it?"

"Those marks…they're under both of your eyes… This is somethin' I never expected… Look at your nails, Ichigo…" Akuji answered, pointing to the other's hands. The eldest Kurosaki did as his Apollo-christened other said to, eyes widening when he saw that his nails looked sharp yet were a tint of the blue of his reiatsu. "They're…like a Hollow's… I bet they're just as deadly…"

"What's happening to me…?" Ichigo asked as he looked helplessly at his Hollow. Akuji stepped toward him and wrapped his arms around his Shinigami. "Akuji…where is Zangetsu? Why am I taking the characteristics of a Hollow? Why…why is this happening…?"

"It's all right, Ichi… Remember: just focus," the other said to him. "Focus on having Zangetsu back," he continued, losing the self-induced accent. Softly, he added, "You'll be okay. Zangetsu's fine. He's probably getting rained on, and wanting to throw a fit, but he's fine." Slowly, the Zanpaktou known as Zangetsu formed on Ichigo's back. "See? Just stay calm."

The teenaged Shinigami snorted. "_You_ are telling _me_ to stay _calm_?" he asked before Akuji started nuzzling his neck. "Thanks," he finished, feeling the tension fading from his body as he breathed deeply, cooling his frayed nerves.

"Anytime, Ichi. But…we're gonna have to work on this, uh…addition; see if it's got any good things to come with it."

"Yeah but…not today… Let's wait until tomorrow," Ichigo replied, sighing gratefully when Akuji agreed with him. _I'm just hoping it doesn't affect me horribly… Please, let it be a good thing._

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End of the fifth installment of Defense.

I'm hoping to get something GOOD out for next chapter and not just a big, fluffy, cavity-causing, dentist-enraging pile of sweetness! LOVE THE SWEETNESS! Just like strawberries. XD

Click that little button, would you? I'd love to get some reviews. It'd make me a happy person. XP


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